'Geyser' from burst pipe drenches street

Masterton's Jodi Macauley was woken by a roar in the early hours of yesterday morning after a main water pipe burst near her house.

Mrs Macauley said she was in bed when she thought she heard rain on the roof.

She sent her husband, Kim, outside to check the car windows were up and that couches outside were under cover.

"There was a bang to start with, then we thought it was raining," she said.

"He came inside and goes, 'It's not raining but there's all this water out on the street'."

Mrs Macauley said they then went to investigate.

"There was this big geyser and it was about three stories high," she said.

"The fact it was coming out in the street was unbelievable."

When she dialled 111, she was unsure which service to ask for but eventually settled with fire.

She said cars were just driving past and other neighbours were undisturbed. "The house three houses away was getting soaked," she said. "I just can't believe we're the only people that heard."

Firefighters managed to turn the water main off.

Masterton District Council utilities manager James Li said the water was turned back on to affected houses by 9am yesterday.